Filter Out the Guesswork with Your DVX100 ND (Neutral Density)
Filters and Iris Settings
by Tim Hutchinson
To help maximize
the most of your picture clarity and sharpness with your DVX100
3CCD’s, you’ll need to trust your on-screen displays. A great
feature that the Panasonic DVX offers that often goes underrated is
the ND filter onscreen display. You don’t have to go far to find
great ND filters for your digital camera. This tells you when you
need to use your built-in ND 1/8 or your ND 1/64 filters according
to your iris settings and the lighting conditions that you’re in.
So, just from the amount of light that passes through the iris, the
DVX 100 can inform you if you need more or less light to achieve the
ideal iris f-stop range of anywhere between 5.6 to 11. So think of
the ND filters as sunglasses for your lens.
For example,
let’s say for your digital film you’re shooting an outdoor scene in
the middle of the day…high noon (without any fancy diffusion setups
– just the sunlight). It’s a clear day and the sun is at its
brightest. If your DVX100 ND filters are off, chances are the
on-screen display will flash “ND 1/8” or “ND 1/64” suggesting that
you use your built-in ND filters. This display is basically letting
you know that you need to use the filters to regulate the amount of
light that enters the iris so you can achieve the ideal f-stop range
in that specific lighting.
Which ND filter do you use and how do you find the f-stop range?
Easy.
1. Turn on the
DVX100 AUTO iris function and let the internal light meter process
the light. You should see the f-stop numbers on the display change.
From there, the display will either read “ND 1/8” or “ND 1/64”.
2. If it
reads “ND 1/8”then switch the ND 1/8 filter on. You’ll know you’re
in the correct f-stop range when the f-stop reads anywhere between
3.4-11. But, if that’s not enough to regulate the light, the f-stop
will read f16 which is still pushing the iris closed. If that’s the
case, then the DVX will let you know by displaying “ND 1/64”.
3.
If the display reads “ND 1/64” then switch the ND 1/64 filter on.
From there, the DVX 100 f-stop display should read comfortably
anywhere between 5.4-11
(continued
on next page -
DVX100 ND Settings page 2...)
Do
YOU have a cheap, low budget, do-it-yourself DVX100 tip or trick that
you'd like to contribute?
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us and we'll post it up!
Thanks
for helping the grass roots grow!
